Hindu Wedding – Nilam & Kalpan @ Liopetra Venue

Hindu Wedding – Nilam & Kalpan @ Liopetra Venue

December 16, 2017

A Hindu wedding in Cyprus is not something that happens every day. When the call came from our wedding partners www.paphosweddingsmadeeasy.com we were instantly excited about the unique and colourful day in prospect.

Shrouded by the plethora of ceremonies and rituals that mark an Indian Wedding, the work of a Wedding photographer becomes much more challenging. The diversity in customs and conventions from one wedding to another paves way for a need to get acquainted with commonalities of Indian Weddings, so as to not miss the crucial events.

As a team we do a lot of weddings here in Cyprus. Big weddings, small weddings, lots of different venues and hotels. Of course this coupled with every wedding being different in its own right means we have the privilege of one of the most varied occupations around. So when we saw the amazing itinerary for this one the creative juices were flowing. Oh yes, and the homework started!

Steeped in tradition and culture the ceremony (over 2 hours) is full of colour, rituals and processes. To be shooting and observing these traditions and traditions that go back 100’s of years was fascinating.

The rituals and process in a Hindu wedding vary widely. Nevertheless, there are a few key rituals common in Hindu weddings Kanyadaan, Panigrahana, and Saptapadi which are respectively, giving away of daughter by the father, voluntarily holding hand near the fire to signify union. Taking seven steps with each step includes a promise to each other before fire. The Hindu wedding ceremony at its core is essentially a Vedic yajna ritual. The primary witness of a Hindu marriage is the fire-deity (or the Sacred Fire) Agri, in the presence of family and friends. The ceremony is traditionally conducted entirely, or at least partially in Sanskrit, considered by Hindu as the language of holy ceremonies. The local language of the bride and groom is also used. These rituals are prescribed in the Gruhya sutra composed by various rishis such as Baudhavana and Ashvalayana.